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Wigan3 - 2Arsenal

Watson set Wigan on the road to a stunning comeback win with 10 minutes to go

By Phil Dawkes

A late Wigan comeback has all but ended Arsenal's title bid and also virtually secured their top-flight status.

Theo Walcott's neat finish gave Arsenal the lead, which they doubled via Mikael Silvestre's header from a corner.

Three goals in 10 minutes turned the game in Wigan's favour late on, with Ben Watson side-footing in the first.

A mistake from Arsenal keeper Lukasz Fabianski allowed Titus Bramble to head Wigan level and then, deep into injury time Charles N'Zogbia's strike won it.

It was a stunning end to a game that Arsenal had seemed certain to win and in the process keep alive a title bid that was reawakened by Chelsea's 2-1 defeat at Spurs on Saturday.

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That result will have altered the pessimistic admission of Gunners boss Arsene Wenger after his side's own 2-1 loss at White Hart Lane on Wednesday that their challenge was over.

He must now revert back to his initial prognosis that Arsenal are destined to finish trophyless for the fifth season in a row.

Wigan are very much in a race of their own at the bottom end of the table and cannot breathe easily just yet but this victory goes a long way to securing them a sixth successive season in the Premier League.

The Latics now have a seven-point cushion over 18th-placed Hull with three games to play.

Whilst taking nothing away from Wigan, a large portion of the blame must go to an admittedly weakened Arsenal defence, which had already demonstrated its fragility earlier in the game and capitulated during a remarkable last 10 minutes.

Watson's 80th-minute side-foot finish from a Hugo Rodallega pull-back was greeted with cheers of hope more than expectation from the home crowd.

However, this quickly became belief that three points were these for the taking when Fabianski - filling in for injured first-choice keeper Manuel Almunia - fumbled a corner and allowed Bramble to head home the equaliser in the 89th minute.

With momentum fully behind them, the Latics took full advantage of their shell-shocked opponents when, four minutes into injury time, N'Zogbia unleashed a superb, curling shot from the edge of the area into the top corner of the net fro the killer blow.

The Gunners had been far from their best in the 80 minutes prior to Watson's first for Wigan but appeared to be on course to move within three points of Chelsea courtesy of a brace of goals in a 10-minute spell either side of half time.

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Walcott's opener - a neat finish after he had been put through on goal by Nicklas Bendtner's pass - was reward for the way Arsenal had grown into the game throughout the first half following a nervous start, no doubt partly due to the absence of key defensive figures.

Fabianski looked uncertain as he tentatively edged forward but failed to claim a Watson corner, which flashed across goal just ahead of the lunging Mario Melchiot early on.

Minutes later, the Gunners defence - missing both first-choice centre-backs William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen, gifted possession to N'Zogbia but his shot from the edge of the area bobbled tamely wide.

The first goal was well timed - coming just before the break - and the second even more so as Arsenal quashed any momentum the home side may have had from their half time team-talk.

Silvestre was given far too much room on the penalty spot to rise and head home Nasri's corner into the far corner of the net which, judging by his scrambled attempt to get across to clear, Watson had neglected his duty to cover.

Arsenal celebrated the goal like the game-winner it appeared to be, little aware of the late drama still to come.

20:59 Corner taken left-footed by Charles N'Zogbia to the near post, Craig Eastmond makes a clearance. Corner taken by Charles N'Zogbia
from the right by-line played to the near post, clearance made by Vassiriki Diaby.

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